To save money and improve security for your data and server equipment, consider office buildings that have clean, dry basement storage spaces to lease for your small Server Room.
Three (3) very good reasons to consider this are…
- Less Expensive to Rent: Basement storage space typically costs much less per SF to lease than regular office space.
- Better Data & Equipment Security: A Server Room locked in a separate basement storage space can often be in the basement near a building’s main Communications Room and be more secure than within your office space. But buildings shouldn’t be located in a risky flood plain and server equipment should be installed on racks several feet above the floor in case of flooding within your building. Basement storage space is often safer than locating your server below other leased spaces on upper floors, where water can leak from a damaged roof, rest rooms or other tenants’ kitchen/break rooms.
- Less Costly to Install, Operate & Maintain: Basement space is typically considerably cooler than a Tenant’s office space, so it usually doesn’t require a supplemental AC unit or the related electrical utility expense for after-hours operation, plus tenant improvements for basement storage space usually would not cost as much as for regular office space.
However, we note that Denver/Boulder, where we are located, has a dry, arid climate, so basement spaces here generally don’t have very high humidity, which could be a negative factor to evaluate in certain other markets. Note, too, that cabling costs from a basement Server Room to a Tenant’s premises up above would initially be higher due to the longer cabling runs required.
So if your Server Room is not particularly large, ask your IT staff to give basement storage space some consideration. One of our software clients in the Metro Denver/Boulder Market came up with this idea and it’s working out great for its office space on the fifth floor.
To confidentially discuss your Office and Industrial leasing needs and how to potentially save rent on your Server Room, call William Gary, MBA, MIM, at cell +1 303-901-1108 or email him at wgary@MacLW.com. As 100% Tenant Representatives, MacLaurin Williams Worldwide and our offices can advise you without conflicts of interest in nearly eighty (80) major markets, including in Boulder and Denver, Colorado, and in Round Rock and Austin, Texas.